Shrewsbury's World War I monument to be rebuilt

Shrewsbury – After a three-year fundraising campaign, Shrewsbury's World War I monument will finally be rebuilt.

The original monument was built in 1933 in honor of Maj. Howard Beal, a Shrewsbury resident who was killed in action on the Western Front in 1918, and was located in front of the school which bears his name. Over the ensuing decades, the monument had deteriorated beyond repair and was decommissioned last year and then taken down in the fall. The new monument will be located in that spot.

The town's Veterans” Council launched an effort to raise $150,000 for a replacement one, according to council member Frederick Russell, who is also the commander of the Victor R. Quaranta American Legion Post 397.

“We'se done everything we could think of to raise money,” he said. “Phone calls, paid workers, free work and supplies from local supporters, mailings, school drives and begging.”

While the goal of $150,000 to rebuild the monument has so far collected just $129,000, the dedication set for Veterans Day, November 11, 2013 is still a “go,” he added.

In conjunction with the dedication of the monument, the Veterans” Council is seeking to locate and invite any living relatives of the eight Shrewsbury men who lost their lives on the battlefield to the ceremony.